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As someone who manages to keep busy between work and school, I often don't have multiple hours at a time to devote to games. Lately, I've found myself investing more in short gaming experiences that I can manage my way through in a day or two, at the most. I've also been greatly enjoying games where I can hop in, play for ten or twenty minutes, and then move on to another task. 10 Minute Barbarian is a great game for doing so, as it provides a good bit of entertainment that is sectioned into fairly short levels, making it a great option if you have a busy schedule.

10 Minute Barbarian is a simple game in terms of its goals. You are put in control of an army, which you must make use of to explore, battle, and conquer your way through various kingdoms. The main goal is to gather enough of an army to prevent the Demon Army from destroying the entire kingdom once they arrive.

One of the main mechanics of 10 Minute Barbarian is gathering your army. To do this, you must move to a village or castle that contains soldiers and recruit them to your cause. This is done automatically once you step on the tile, as long as the village is friendly, of course. You will be able to see the type and amount of the soldiers stationed in the village, so you will know exactly how many you will be adding to your army if you choose to move there.

While you can amass large armies of hundreds of units, you are forced to begin with a smaller, more manageable crew. As you gain gold, which you can collect in the environment and earn from battles, you'll be able to upgrade your army capacity and recruit more and more units. Units are disposable. You will lose a ton during each battle, but they will quickly be replaced by visiting nearby villages and castles.

If a village or castle is not friendly, you will have to fight if you decide to step on that particular tile. If you have a great advantage in terms of numbers, the battle will take place behind-the-scenes, and will award you with a victory. However, if you are more evenly matched, you will get to watch an awesome battle sequence take place as your armies collide. To begin with, these battles require no interaction, but you can gain special abilities later on that will require you to activate them during combat, such as a dragon that can cast fireballs that you aim with the mouse.

At the beginning of each level in 10 Minute Barbarian, a turn counter will be displayed at the top of the screen, indicating how many turns you have until the demons arrive. Each time you travel to an adjacent tile, a turn is counted. This means that you must manage your movement in order to gain the maximum amount of soldiers, while still managing to reach the demon's portal in order to prevent your newly-conquered kingdom from being utterly devastated.

The most entertaining part of 10 Minute Barbarian is watching your huge army battle. Even when you aren't able to participate in the battles (i.e. before you get special abilities), they still manage to be exciting and awesome to watch as your army of 200 collides with an enemy force of 150 and a dragon.

The goal of 10 Minute Barbarian is to provide a casual gaming experience that is easy to control, and to create a game that can be played in short bursts. Each level of 10 Minute Barbarian only takes a few minutes to complete, meaning that you'll be able to play during a lunch break or while you are waiting for your food to finish in the oven. 10 Minute Barbarian is nothing groundbreaking, but it seems to have done a fantastic job executing what it set out to do. It provides a fun, simple, and entertaining experience that can be enjoyed in just a few moments time.

If you'd like to give 10 Minute Barbarian a try, you can play the demo, which features 3 unique levels to try. The game is also currently looking for approval through Steam Greenlight, where you can leave them some feedback and a vote if you enjoyed the demo.